


Malicious

by NaturalDisaster_Goddess



Series: Corruption [1]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Corruption, Gen, Graphic Description of Injury, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, If No One Cries While Reading This I've Failed, Linked Universe, Living Rotting Body, Mostly hurt, Self-Harm, So much angst, Some Fluff, Suicide, Temporary Character Death, The Boys Bein Bros, Time Is A Good Dad, Yeah Fun Times, mentions of suicidal tendancies, sort of mind control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-11-15 09:00:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 15,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18070406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaturalDisaster_Goddess/pseuds/NaturalDisaster_Goddess
Summary: He really shouldn't have ignored those cuts.





	1. Prologue: All Things Have Consequences

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild, Final Fight**

Run.

Run.

Run, and fight.

Blood dripped from his fingertips staining the grass with fine beads of liquid ruby.

He didn’t notice, and if he had he wouldn’t care.

Pull the string back. The glimmering wire of the shining bow dug into the bloody trenches of his knuckles.

One more arrow. One more shot. One shot was all he needed.

The light arrow flew like lightning; striking against the Calamity’s flank. The beast let out a roar echoing with thousands upon thousands of years of hatred.

Then she was there; floating to the ground gracefully haloed in golden light as though the goddess herself had deigned to bless this world with her presence.

The light grew brighter, larger, and the beast grew smaller, weaker.

He stood at her side watching the vicious monster disappear.

Of course it wouldn’t end so easily.

The monster lashed out. He lifted an arm to block the attack.

Sharp claws sliced through his flesh leaving deep scratches in their wake.

‘One last laugh.’ the malignant voice echoed in his ears as the beast finally vanished.

He glanced at the gouges in his arm, but, as she called his attention to her, he quickly dismissed them as of little consequence.

A dismissal he would later regret.

 


	2. Chapter 1: Wild, Stop Being A Close Lipped Idiot

**East Necluda, Era of the Wild**

Leaves crunched and twigs snapped as Wind’s feet pounded the Earth propelling the young boy further from the shadowy beast pursuing him. The boy pushed off a tree root launching himself over a large boulder; then darted to the right. He couldn’t hear the creature chasing him, but he knew very well that a jump and a change of direction wouldn’t fool it.

He was soon proven right.

The silent blue and black figure dropped gracefully from a tree tackling the young pirate to the ground. The two rolled several feet to a stop with Wind clutched tightly in his chaser's arms with no chance of escape.

One of the figures arms releases Wind’s midriff roving closer and closer to the boy’s head. The hand falls onto Wind’s head fingers threading through sun-bleached hair.

 

Wild roughly tousled the boy’s hair and loosened his arm.

“Dang it!” Wind cried flicking Wild’s hand from his hair and crawling out of his friend’s grasp, “You caught me again.”

“Took a few minutes longer this time, you’re getting better.” Wild responded pushing himself back to his feet and lowering a hand to Wind.

“I’m pretty sure you were just going slower.” Wind said as Wild pulled him to his feet.

Wild shrugged and didn’t respond. He turned to walk back to camp, but froze after only a few steps. He stared into the distance; eyes fuzzy and unfocused.

Wind stared at his still friend, “Wild?”

Wild didn’t respond; his breathing quickened and his eyes widened staring into the distance at an invisible nightmare.

Wind stepped forward and cautiously grabbed Wild’s arm. The older jumped at the contact; muscles tensing as his eyes snapped to the boy holding his arm.

“Wild? What’s wrong what were you looking at?”

Wild looked at him then back to the sun setting over the horizon.

He shook his head, “Nothing.”

Wind frowned, but he knew better than to push for a proper answer. Instead he began the walk back to camp tugging gently on Wild’s sleeve.

Wild looks into the distance wonderingly before dragging his gaze away and following Wind.

The two heroes drift back to camp the others calling out various greetings.

Twilight was crouched by the fire skinning a buck they’d caught earlier in the day. Wild moved to help prepare the meat for tonight’s meal and the group’s routine was proceeded as usual.

Sooner than later everyone was asleep. Everyone except the Hero of the Wild. He sat on a rock watching the surrounding area. It was first watch, but his eyelids were already drooping. His eyes fell shut before he roughly shook himself awake. He kept his eyes on the horizon even as his hand drifted to rub harshly at his right forearm. When whatever ailed him didn’t flee at the furious ministrations he looked down at his arm and slowly unwrapped the gray cloth curled around the limb.

The sight that lay underneath was not a pretty one. Three parallel claw marks slashed across his arm. The same claw marks he had dismissed as little consequence many months ago.

The scars glowed dimly in the light of the moon harsh red and purple lines webbing across the flesh of his arm ever so slowly crawling, and reaching, and claiming more and more of his body.

Wild gritted his teeth and determinedly rewrapped his arm, perhaps a little tighter than he should have.

‘It’s not a big deal,’ he insisted to himself, ‘it’ll be gone soon.’

He looked back into the nearby forest steadfastly ignoring the unusual exhaustion creeping through his body.

 


	3. Chapter 2: These Are The Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter I posted the "Mentions Of Suicidal Tendencies" tag for, so please just be aware.

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

The crew of heroes trekked through the open plains dotted with ancient columns and only vaguely recognizable ruins. Their search for the shadowed enemy which had brought them together still bore no success. They thought perhaps the castle would reveal some needed information, and if not that perhaps The Lost Woods or The Great Plateau. For now though they could merely walk and theorize.

Wild had fallen several paces behind the rest of the group. Not too worrying, the teen was usually all over the place; collecting herbs and fruits and mushrooms, looking for koroks, climbing anything in reach, bothering the local wildlife, anything that struck his fancy.

Now though, now he was still, the shuffling of his feet as he almost struggled to keep up his only movement. Every few steps he would stumble over some unseen obstacle, and though he had somehow struck a balance between the most agile and graceful one in the group and the most clumsy person any of the others had ever met stumbling this often over seemingly nothing was incredibly strange.

Twilight glanced back at his protégé as he tripped on yet another invisible rock then shared a look with several of the other Links. Silent discussions passed in heartbeats, and Sky fell back to walk beside Wild while Twilight fell into step beside his mentor, nudging the elder’s arm with his elbow and nodding his head towards Wild.

Wild saw a vague flash of blue and white fabric flapping lightly in the breeze as Sky moved to walk beside him. He didn’t say anything though, a fact for which Wild silently breathed a sigh of relief. He could barely find the energy to lift his feet let alone sign, or talk for that matter.

A spark of red and purple behind his silent supporter drew Wild’s eyes. The vision that met his gaze made his eyes widen, his chest tighten, his breathing speed up, and heart pound in fast, rapid beats resonating in his ears.

 

No...it couldn’t be.

 

That shouldn’t be there.

 

How can it be there?

 

A million denials danced through his mind, but none of them could banish the dark phantom approaching him and his friends. None of them erased the shining red laser focused on the back of Sky’s head.

Sky had stopped walking when Wild did; his eyes alight with confusion, eyebrows scrunched up on his forehead, mouth open pouring concerned words drowned out by the soft shrill beeping flooding Wild’s ears.

Wild whipped his hand to his waist. Cold voices danced through his mind leaving frosty trails of panic in their wake.

(Hurry! Hurry! Can’t fail again!)

They chased the words with screeching giggles of ice scratching through his heart.

His hand closed on the Sheikah Slate; rapid, fumbling fingers set the blue-white lines stretching across his body like wildfire piecing together his ancient armor orange and blue decals glowing like flaming stars as they materialized.

 

He froze.

 

Ancient materials locked in place leaving their wearer as immobile as a victim of an icy lizalfos’ breath.

The voices were laughing again...louder this time. Their harsh, childish mirth echoing all around him.

Ancient gears clicked and whirred and his arm reached back over his shoulder for the deactivated hilt of a guardian sword.

Sky was stepping closer; cautiously reaching his hand out as though trying to calm a frightened animal. The others had stepped further away, several meters away, far, too far.

‘No.’ Wild thought desperately his fingers closing robotically around his sword, ‘Come back, something’s wrong. Please, come back...don’t let me do this...don’t let this happen to me...don’t let me hurt him.’

The laughing grew louder, deeper, harsher, burning like acid down his throat, fire in his mind turning the last vestiges of calm in him to ash.

He tried to scream, shout, to warn Sky, tell him to

(Run. Run. Don’t let me kill you too.)

but his mouth wouldn’t move. HIs throat wouldn’t form the words.

All the times he had something to say, but didn’t say it

(Thank you. You guys are great. You’re the reason it doesn’t hurt so much anymore. You’re the reason I always remember to use my paraglider now. You’re the reason I enjoy cooking now instead of it just being so I could throw myself into more fights.)

because he just didn’t want to talk. He thought he could just say it later; when he felt better talking.

Now the voice of evil was ringing in his ears, and he  _ couldn’t _ say it. Now was drawing his blade on one of the people he’d wanted to say it too. Now he may never get to tell them.

His arm swung up. Blue energy flaring to life from the hilt.

 

‘What was it I said back then little hero...’

 

The voice; rang, burned, echoed. It surrounded him.

 

(Drowning. I’m drowning. I need to get out. Why can’t I get out?)

 

His arm came down. Swinging in a practiced motion; ready to 

 

(Slice, slash, stab. Enemy here. Enemy there. Enemies everywhere. Have to get them. Have to kill them before they kill me.)

 

come down on Sky.

 

Sky. 

 

Staring at him with confused, terrified eyes. Shock and horror painting his features like blood.

 

His arm was falling.

 

Down...

 

Down…

 

Down…

 

Down…

 

Down towards Sky seconds from

 

(Slicing his neck clean in two. Blood dripping from the gash painting his friend’s pale flesh the crimson red of his treasured loftwing.)

 

cutting into his skin.

 

‘...One last laugh?’

 


	4. Chapter 3: It's Always Calm Before A Storm

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

He grew up in the sky. He grew up watching clouds, watching storms.

He should have known better than anyone.

The calm always comes before a storm.

It had been calm, far too calm. There hadn’t even been any monster attacks in several days; only abandoned camps and long dead fires.

Wild had been the only thing out of place; oddly tired, even more quiet than usual, always rubbing his arm as though it were hurting him, and then instantly clamming up when Hyrule asked if it was a wound he could help with.

Sky was worried about him, they all were, but if it weren’t for Time Wild would be the most secretive of them, especially when it came to injuries. And so all they could do was try to support him until he was ready to talk about it, hopefully before it got too bad.

So when they saw him stumbling and lagging behind the group of course Twilight went to talk his mentor into taking a break, of course the others were running through a mental list of everything they knew about him to try and figure out what was bothering him, of course Sky went to stand beside Wild to catch him if he fell.

Then he’d frozen.

Sky looked at the frozen hero; whose eyes had focused somewhere behind him. Sky turned to follow Wild’s gaze, but saw nothing.

“Wild?” he asked, “Wild, what is it?”

Wild’s hand darted for his Sheikah Slate; his face morphed into an expression none of them had seen on him before...panic. Sheer, mind-numbing, bone-chilling, panic.

The expression was soon covered by the ominous helmet of Wild’s ancient armor.

 

He froze again. Every few seconds his fingers would twitch, like he was trying to move but couldn’t. The glimmering orange and blue decorations dimmed, and streaks of bloody red, bruised purple, and burnt black stretch across the glittering lights covering them in darkness. 

Sky stepped closer; a dark pit growing in his stomach. Wild’s hand moved towards the sword resting on his back.

The Master Sword glowed on his back, but there were no words. No calm, calculating voice to soothe his worries with simple facts and steady confidence. As though for the first time in all the time he’d known her Fi couldn’t form words. In place of words was more emotion then he’d ever felt the spirit; more than even he knew she was capable of. Bright, hot, ripping terror, scorching anger, and suffocating worry.

Concern turned to horror as the sword slashed through the air towards Sky. The sword being wielded by his friend cleaving through the air like a shooting star.

Sky moved on instinct; whipping his shield up just in time for the burning blade of pure energy to scrape of its glimmering surface instead of carving into his throat. His other hand grasped the hilt of The Master Sword and even without his knowledge he was slashing her towards Wild’s arm in retaliation.

Before the strike could connect the blade’s hilt grew unbearably hot in his grasp. Sky yelped, The Blade of Evil’s Bane slipping from his fingers leaving a dark, stinging burn on his hand behind her. The sword thudded to the ground and Sky felt a pulse of regret before his attention was yanked back to Wild.

Wild, who was already moving his arm to deliver another attack.

 


	5. Chapter 4: Shining Void

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 400+ hits in 3 days! Holy shit, thank you all so much!

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

It was the voice which told him something was wrong. Sky’s familiar, soft, breezy voice laced in concern as he said Wild’s name. Twilight, along with the others, was turning his head to look at the pair.

He turned just in time to see the glimmering blue sword in Wild’s hand crash onto Sky’s shield.

Sky reached for The Master Sword on his back swinging the holy blade at Wild’s arm. The blade glowed and Sky dropped her with a stinging cry of pain.

The sword in Wild’s hand was already moving.

So was Twilight.

He ran. He ran as fast as he could. He tackled Wild to the ground; the ancient blade only nicking Sky’s cheek instead of carving into his eye. Mentor and protégé toppled to the ground. Twilight scrambled to pin Wild’s arms, but the young hero was flailing them like a panicked bird. One of Wild’s elbows slammed into Twilight’s lip leaving behind a dripping cut and a momentarily stunned hero. The miniscule moment Twilight was stunned was enough for Wild to grab his mentor’s arms and drag his legs out from where they had been pinned beneath Twilight’s hips. Curling his body in Wild got his feet under Twilight’s rib cage lashing out with a vicious kick releasing his grip on Twilight’s wrists to send the older hero sprawling to the ground beside Sky.

Finally free Wild launched himself off the ground in a graceful flip drawing his bow and knocking a large circular headed arrow to the string. Part of the arrow head unfolded and sharp arcs of blue energy sprung forth to complete the arrow. Faster than they could blink Wild released the arrow and it was flying towards Twilight and Sky. The two heroes ducked as the arrow flew past them. A loud yelp drew their attention behind them where Wind had thrown himself to the ground just in time to avoid the arrow. Any possible targets removed from its path the arrow met a tree with an explosion of blue light that erased everything around it to nothing.

Twilight stared at where the tree had been. There were no splinters, no leaves, nothing. The tree hadn’t been destroyed; it had been completely erased. Simply...gone. Twilight looked from the gaping hole in the universe where a tree used to be to his protégé who was crossing blades with Warriors.

‘Dammit Cub, what the hell is happening to you?’

 


	6. Chapter 5: Wild Animal

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

“Wild!” Warriors called flicking his wrist up to block a violent slash to his shoulder, “Wild! Come on, snap out out of it!”

“What the hell is wrong with him?!” Wind called somewhere behind him.

“I don’t know!” Twilight called back.

Warriors caught another strike on the blade of his sword, twisted it down, and tore the glowing sword from Wild’s hand. He swept his arm out aiming the flat of his blade at Wild’s head. Wild ducked and rolled under the blow, sprang up, reached out and grabbed a hold of Warriors’ scarf.

Warriors spluttered and coughed at the sudden tightening of the fabric one hand automatically coming up to his throat to attempt to loosen the accessory that had suddenly become a noose.

Before he could make another effort to loosen the scarf Time was there; grasping the taught scarf and slashing his biggoron sword through the sheer material. Warriors gasped for breath like a beached fish and stumbled out of the way of the fight rubbing at his bruising neck under the loosened scarf.

He caught his breath and looked back to where  Wild was holding back Time’s sword with a glowing blue shield that he definitely hadn’t had earlier.

One of the first things Warriors had noticed about Wild was the way he stood when he fought. Even without his memories Wild stood like a soldier. Now though, that soldier’s posture was nowhere to be seen; instead...well, instead he stood like a Wild animal.

A frightened, cornered wild animal with nothing left to lose.

 


	7. Chapter 6: Familiar Darkness

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

Time stumbled back as Wild knocked his sword off course with a vicious swing of the shield on his arm. A flash of blue and the shield was swinging edge first towards him. Time braced his sword with his arm against the shield and  tried to meet Wild’s eyes. It was useless, the helmet covered the entire top half of Wild’s face.

“Wild, what’s happening, come on answer me.” he gritted.

Wild didn’t respond, and his expression didn’t change. So lost he was in the darkness overtaking his mind.

Time stared at the decals on Wild’s armor; the ugly red, purple, and black smothering the bright blue and orange and the markings on his face  _ burned _ . Dark malice flooding the mind and twisting the world until you couldn’t tell friends from enemies. It was something Time had always feared in himself, but now it had happened to someone else right in front of him. Just another cruel twist of fate he supposed.

Time pushed Wild’s arm away and aimed a slash at his legs.

The sword carved through the air towards the armor covered legs.

 

Wild fell.

 

His hand came down on the broad blade and his legs came up off the ground. His legs uncurled in a harsh kick at Time’s chest. The older hero stumbled back with his breath fleeing his lungs. Wild hit the ground and rolled to his feet snatching up his forgotten sword.

There was a flash of dull green and brown behind Wild has Hyrule darted forward. Hyrule skidded across the dirt scything his leg towards Wild’s feet. Before he could sweep the wild hero’s feet out from under him, Wild jumped.

He leapt high into the air sweeping his sword over his shoulder as he fell.

Time watched as his student, his descendant’s, protégé, his friend, fell through the air ready to cleave his ally and friend in two without a second thought.

‘Why?’

‘Why does this have to happen?’

 


	8. Chapter 7: Muddy Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments, you all have no idea how much all of your support motivates me to get these chapters out everyday.

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

Hyrule rolled out of the way of the jagged blade and rose to his knees swiping away the hair that had been blown into his face by the shockwave. 

Glowing blue was flashing towards his face.

He lunged to the right pulling his sword up to deflect the strike. The hilts of the swords caught on each other and the two combatants were, for a miniscule moment, frozen.

“Come on Wild,” he whispered, “I know you’re there, you’re just lost. You just need to find your way back. We’ve been lost before, remember. All those times someone had to come find us. The others are always so mad at us, but we always got back. It might be a little harder this time, but you can make it. Come back Wild.”

Wild pulled his blade free, jumped back, and stood frozen for several seconds. Then he blurred out of sight, and Hyrule barely managed to knock the glowing blade away from his chest.

Wild’s unnatural speed didn’t fade, and Hyrule’s sight narrowed to thin streaks of blue light as he struggled to block the strikes.

He was one second to slow.

One slash caught him across his shoulder; slicing through his tunic and cutting into his skin. His non-weapon hand snapped to his shoulder stemming the waterfall of blood.

Another blow was already on its way.

This one wouldn’t be just a shoulder wound.

Hyrule tried to raise his arm to block the sword, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop it.

What was visible of Wild’s face was blank, vacant, uncaring. Hyrule remembered the first time he’d seen Wild laugh. The first time they’d gone off without a map, a goal, or any idea where they were going. Of course, they’d gotten lost in a cave and been left wandering for hours. At one point Hyrule had stumbled on a part of the floor that had fallen away into a long mudslide. He hadn’t noticed and one moment he’d been walking along the stone ground and then he’d been falling through the air. On instinct he’d reached out and grabbed a hold of Wild’s cloak and dragged the other hero into the tunnel of mud. The two had gone rolling and tumbling and sliding down the tunnel until they skid to a halt at the bottom of the slide scratched, bruised, and covered in mud. Hyrule had heard breathy chuckling as he pulled himself to his feet; he hadn’t even realized it was Wild laughing until he looked at the other hero and saw him kneeling in the mud with his shoulders shaking and tiny, bright smile lighting his face.

There was no trace of that little smile on Wild’s face now as he swung a blade of fiery energy at his friend.

Hyrule’s eyes fell shut, his arm still trying to rise and block the strike no matter how hopeless he knew it was.

 

_ Clang! _

 

Hyrule’s eyes opened to a field of dull red and green standing in front of him. 

 

Legend stood between he and Wild; blade up pushing the blade of arcing blue energy away.

 


	9. Chapter 8: I Really Hope This Works

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

Legend grit his teeth, pushed the blade to the side and sent a vicious kick to Wild’s ribs.

A harsh  _ crack _ echoed through the field. Legend winced then stubbornly shook his head,  _ Figure out what’s wrong now, feel bad later. _

Wild stumbled back, but otherwise didn’t react to the cracked rib. His arm was already swinging another slash at Legend.

The hero in question ducked under the blade and rolled away from Hyrule. He ran several meters away from Wild then slid to a halt facing the corrupted hero his hand reaching into his bag. His hand emerged as Wild was turning to him clutching a glittering blue mace.

Legend held up the Nice Ice Rod, stupid name if you asked him, and chose four spots around Wild.

_ Goddess, I hope this works, _ he thought then four shining icicles crashed to the ground around Wild in an icy barrier pinning him in place.

Legend slowly lowered the magic weapon,  _ Did that work? Did I do it? _

A flash of blue, then a flash of orange and the icicles shattered in a wave of fire.

_ Damn it! _ Legend thought lowering back into a battle stance ready to block the incoming flame blade.

He nearly fell when a sudden weight crashed onto his back.

The weight leapt off his back and then Four was there; slamming feet first into Wild’s face.

 


	10. Chapter 9: Teamwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was listening to "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" by the Offspring the entire time I was writing this, and I was a bit surprised at how well it worked.

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

Four crashed to the ground with Wild beneath him and rolled back to his feet. He turned, drew his blade, and split.

Wild dragged himself to his feet only to be faced with a razor blade sword swinging towards his face.

He bent his spine and the blade split the air just above his head. He went to straighten up, but another of Four’s copies had slid to the ground beside him and swept his legs away with a swift scythe of his own.

Wild crashed onto his back and wasted no time in righting himself and running back several meters in an impossibly fast blur.

A harsh kick at the back of his knee was a cruel reminder of his own mistake as Sky’s kick sent back to his knees. Wild  twisted to his feet scything his blade out at Sky’s chest. Sky lunged back, and a leather covered hand grasped Wild’s arm.

Twilight ducked under the arm clutched firmly in his grasp, reached up, grabbed it with his other hand, and  _ threw _ Wild over his shoulder.

Wild crashed, tumbled, rolled across the dirt not a single sound leaving his mouth. He pushed himself to his knees and was immediately sent back into the rock when a heavy pommel slammed into the side of his head.

Wild blurred and in the next instant he was a safe distance from Warriors’ blade, but not from Time.

The oldest hero slammed into Wild’s side pushing him towards Legend. Legend caught Wild as he stumbled and moved to twist his arm behind him. His attempts were foiled by the armored elbow slamming into his stomach. Legend stumbled, losing his grip on Wild’s sword arm.

Wild’s blade was swinging towards Legend, carving through the air leaving a shining blue comet’s tail behind it. The blade’s progress was halted with a sharp  _ clang _ by the shield held in front of Legend by Hyrule’s uninjured arm.

A flash of purple and Wild was yet again tackled by Four’s violet dressed clone. Wild stumbled away from Legend and Hyrule, and Vio leapt away from him ducking underneath the blade Blue was swinging at Wild. Wild blocked the sword, but left himself open for the shield bash Red sent to his side. The three copies leapt away from Wild.

Blue’s eyes focused somewhere just behind Wild and he sent an almost invisible nod.

Behind Wild Green turned away from Wild, sheathed his sword and cupped his hands just in time to catch Wind’s foot as the younger jumped into his hands. Green lifted his arms and threw Wind into the air. Wind leapt up flying through the air and landed near perfectly on Wild’s back curling his legs around Wild’s neck.

 


	11. Chapter 10: Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day; don't I feel productive.

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

Wind wrapped his legs around the creature’s neck and scrambled for whatever latch that would release the helmet from the creature’s head.

He couldn’t think of it as Wild. The creature they were fighting was cold, uncaring, entirely detached. It was nothing like Wild; fun, creative, caring, slightly insane, hurt but ever surviving Wild. Whatever the hell this... _ thing _ ...moving around in Wild’s body was…

_ It. Wasn’t. Wild. _

His scrambling fingers finally found the release on the strap of the helmet; just as the creature threw itself to the side. The creature and the young hero latched to it hit the ground the creature’s full weight coming down on Wind’s leg with a harsh snap.

Wind cried out but kept his grip on the helmet as the creature dragged itself to its feet. The helmet came off, and the black hair tie keeping wild gold hair out of its owner’s face fell with it.

Green was rushing up to Wind; grabbing him under his arms and pulling him away from the creature. The others were running up beside them all staring at Wild’s face.

(Wild’s face but not Wild’s eyes.)

His eyes were a pulsing mass of black, pink, and purple; empty and cold with flecks of expressive, stormy blue fighting to shine through.

His face though.

The right side of his face was covered by pulsing veins of malice creeping over his cheek leeching the color from his skin like a parasite and turning it a sickly gray where ever it touched.

And dripping from his eyes; salty, twin trails of misery, were tears.

 


	12. Chapter 11: What He Saw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Lots of blood, Graphic descriptions of injury, really, really heavy on the angst this chapter, seriously if no one cries reading this I'm doing something horribly wrong.

**???**

He couldn’t see.

_He couldn’t see._

Why?

Why couldn’t he see?

He remembered blue. The glowing blue of his guardian sword as he swung it at Sky’s face.

_What happened? What did I do?_

He could see again. Bright, blinding light scorching his retinas and turning to dull brown the color of old, half-burnt paper. Color rushed in to fill the dull brown canvas, true color, like when he found a memory, and this was a memory.

It just wasn’t his.

He saw Revali; feathers ruffled, scarf torn and blood stained, crumpled to the floor of Vah Medoh. Laser wounds covered the Rito archer’s body, skin singed and feathers burnt off in massive patches.

And standing above the fallen champion...was him.

He stared down at the Rito, floating just above the ground; right arm weighed down by the massive projectile weapon it had morphed into.

He saw Daruk; crumpled against one of Vah Rudania’s pillars, rocky skin cracked and splintered, crushed almost beyond recognition.

And again he stood over his dead friend; the weight of a weapon heavy in his hand and rivers of blood dripping down his fingers.

He saw Urbosa; skin slashed, organs slipping through the cracks in her flesh, covered in electrical burns, the skin around her eyes burned away leaving glistening blood and charred muscle.

He stared down at her; electricity crackling through his veins exactly the same way it did when he harnessed her fury.

Then, he saw Mipha. She wasn’t dead yet, but she was close. A glowing blue spear drove through her stomach blood as red as her scales dripping from the gaping hole in her body. She coughed, blood sprayed from her mouth painting the spear red. Droplets of the ruby liquid dripped down into the water around her, falling, splattering, and dispersing like a voice lost in the wind, like a precious life snuffed out by the deadly monster it had been forced to face.

Mipha coughed again, still more precious lifeblood slipping past her lips. Her shaking hand reached up and clutched at the silver necklace clipped around her neck. Her trembling fingers wrapped around the silver heart charm; her thumb caressing the blue crystal planted in the center. Her claw slipped into the side of the heart popping the locket open to reveal a tiny, _tiny_ , painting. A painting of her...and...of him.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck. They both wore the brightest smiles; eyes glimmering with joy. They looked young, only children.

“I’m sorry.” she choked.

Then she fell. Slumped over the spear still trapped in her body.

The arm holding the spear, _his arm_ , pulled the weapon from her body. She fell into the water; her body sinking slowly, deeper and deeper until he could no longer see it.

He snapped.

A wave crashed over him. Warm, fresh red smelling overwhelmingly of iron flooding around him; soaking his clothes, pulling his hair into wet tangled clumps, staining his face, covering his hands, and invading his mouth. The taste of iron coated his tongue; thick metallic liquid sliding down his throat.

He retched, tears pouring down his face, trying to rid himself of the metallic taste and smell flooding his senses, of the thick liquid choking him, of the crashing waves of blood singing, ‘Your fault. All your fault! And now you’ve gone and done it again!’

But that wasn’t the end.

Nowhere close.

He saw Wind, little Wind, tossed about like ragdoll. The Triforce, a wish, water, falling, endless rain. The Master Sword returned to his hand, a vicious sword fight. Zelda, Wind’s Zelda, Tetra he called her, fighting at his side arrow after arrow piercing into the tall Gerudo man each echoing with her silent promise not to let Wind fight alone.

He saw Hyrule, alone in a dark stone room surrounded by fire facing a massive boar creature landing and taking blow after blow.

He saw Warriors, a princess draped in an armored gown, a Sheikah warrior, a blue haired witch, a gray colored imp, banded together against an army led by a massive tusked monster.

He saw Twilight, trapped in a circle of glowing magic facing another Gerudo man, with red hair woven with the threads of a gold crown. Blades clashing in showers of sparks and glowing light. Twilight pushing the man back dishing out vicious slashes and getting as good as he gave.

He saw Legend; falling into a gold room, boar decals on every wall and a massive monster in the middle. The glowing gold sword in Legend’s hand swinging as he ran and struck and dodged the boar’s trident.

He saw Time; younger, just a teenager, still with both of his eyes surrounded by a circle of flame standing over the black rubble of a fallen castle fending off a giant monster with a tiny fairy at his side.

He saw Four in a walled cavern, a dark pit, split into his four selves fighting yet another large boar, the four of them working in perfect tandem.

Finally, he saw Sky. Standing in a massive open, shallow pond covered in a dark sky. He stood against a tall black-skinned humanoid beast with hair wreathed in flames. Back and forth, slash and parry, Sky fought the beast, raising his blade to the sky lightning crashing down to meet it. Swift, precise, expert slashes fell upon the monster until, at last, Sky won. The monster faded, dark form overtaken by the holy light of the Master Sword. Then he spoke.

“Extraordinary, you stand as a paragon of your kind, human. You fight like no man or demon I have ever known. Though this is not the end. My hate...never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again! Those like you… Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero… They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!”

He saw thousands, millions of years of defeat, of hatred, of death.

Then he saw them, really saw them. A bright sky shining happily above them as they stared at him. Fear, horror, terror painted across their faces. Blood decorated some of their bodies, and Green stood supporting Wind whose leg was bent horribly out of shape.

_Did I do that?_

He was moving again. Striding forward with robotic steps, arm lifting his sword.

_No. No. No. I can’t hurt them. I can’t let myself do this._

The blade rose.

He was close now, too close. _Why weren’t they moving?_

The blade flew through the air, and this time met its target unhindered.

The sharp point bit into soft flesh burning its way through skin and organs carving into the throat it stabbed. Blood dripped and sizzled along the blade dropping to the ground painting more of the grass bloody red...

 

“NO!”

 


	13. Chapter 12: Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration fairy hath visited me this day.  
> Warnings: Self harm, suicide, temporary character death

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

The blade carved through the air, familiar streak of white/blue light trailing behind it. 

The tip buried itself in Wild’s throat ripping and tearing through muscles and airways setting off a spray of blood that coated Wild’s hand and spattered across the grass.

“NO!”

Who shouted that? Twilight? Time? Sky? Legend? Wind? Everyone? No one knew. They could only stare in horror as Wild yanked the sword from his throat; coughing blood and gasping for breath as suffocating life-blood flooded his shredded airways and drowned his struggling lungs.

He collapsed forward, falling to his side, staring up at them with empty eyes. Not empty like they had been before, unknowing and lost, empty like  _ death _ .

Wind was the first to come out of his shock struggling in Green’s grasp. Green didn’t let go but walked forward slowly. The others broke out of their own frozen mental prisons; racing forward to slide to their knees beside Wild.

Twilight was the first to reach his protege’s side; sliding to the ground and reaching for Wild’s neck. Before he could touch his friend’s injured form,  _ not  _ corpse _ not yet there was still time, _ pure teal-blue flames erupted from his body, twisting and curling and dancing into the shape of a beautiful Zora teenager. She leant forward and placed her hand over his bleeding throat and clawed desperately at the ancient armor covering his body.

She looked at the other Links.

“Hurry.” she pleaded her voice echoing and watery.

Legend was the first to understand what she meant. He rushed forward fingers scrambling over Wild’s armor trying to figure out how to take it off. The others soon rushed to help him leaving Wild in his pants, boots, and undershirt moments later.

The Zora girl immediately placed both hands over Wild’s neck glowing light and fire dancing over his form stitching together flesh and bone, deftly repairing shredded organs. Once the wounds were healed she moved her hands desperately to Wild’s cheek where the creeping infection of malice still remained. She narrowed her eyes fire dripping from her fingers, but it did nothing to the deadly vines climbing Wild’s body. Her eyes widened when she realized her power could do nothing. Tears leaked from her eyes falling from her face and exploding into sparkling fireworks before they hit the ground.

She looked at the other Links terror and regret shadowing her kind features. Then she faded away; her time was up.

The group was left in alone; the sound of Wild’s ragged breathing all there was. Then there was a bright flash and Four’s sides were pulled back into his fused form. Four’s grip on Wind loosened and he fell back in a dead faint.

Time hurriedly caught Wind while Warriors scrambled to catch Four.

“We need to set up camp,” Time looked at Wild, “find some potions, heal and try to figure out what’s wrong with him.”

The others just nodded.

They rushed to start a fire, get Wind and Hyrule some healing potions, lay Four and Wild on their bedrolls. Sky knelt beside Wild, Twilight right next to him, desperately trying to figure what was happening to him. An hour later and everyone was regrouped around him; Wind leaning on a forked branch Legend had found and Four still out cold.

“Anything?” Time asked leaning a hand on Sky’s shoulder.

Sky shook his head despondently, rubbing his hands over his face, “I can’t tell, I’ve never seen this stuff before.” he gestured to the malice veins crawling up Wild’s face.

“Then we need to find someone who has.” Hyrule stated, nervously rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.

Warriors rubbed his hand harshly over his lips, “What about Zelda, his Zelda, didn’t he say she was a researcher or something?”

“Wild’s house is in Hateno, would she be there?” Wind asked voice high and fluttering.

“The tech lab,” Twilight said, “the director of the lab in Hateno was friends with her before, she might be staying there.”

Time nodded, “It’s as good a place as any. Does anyone know how t o work his Sheikah Slate, can we warp there?”

They all shared a glance biting their lips nervously.

Time sighed and looked at Sky, “Do you think he’ll have enough time for us to walk there?”

Sky opened his mouth to respond…

“I can get him there faster.” Twilight interrupted staring up at his mentor, eyes burning with determination.

Time nodded.

Twilight bent his head, black, white and green fur spreading across his skin, his fingers shortening and sharpening into vicious claws. Less than a minute later a massive wolf stood amidst the group.

Not wasting a second Time grabbed a length of rope and with help from the others soon had Wild lying across Twilight’s back his hips tied to Twilight’s form and his hands secured around the wolf’s neck.

Time bent close to Twilight’s head double checking the knots around Wild’s wrists. When he was satisfied he leant back and rubbed Twilight’s head behind his ears.

“Hurry.” he whispered.

Then the wolf was gone; sprinting away into the wooded path to Hateno in a dark, blurry, streak.

 


	14. Chapter 13: Restless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I officially published this story just over a week ago, and oh my God more than 1100 hits! Thank you all so much you are the reason this story has been a success and why I've managed to keep a regular updating schedule! So once more thank you so much.  
> Warnings: blood, nightmare, graphic injury

**Hyrule Field, Era of the Wild**

It was dark.

Narrow slashes of blue light whipped through his vision.

 

He smelled blood.

 

His mind was chaos. Divided, but not. The thoughts of four separate entities crashing through his minds all scratching and clawing for attention.

 

_He smelled blood._

 

He crawled toward the smell.

_Did he have one body? Two? Four? He couldn’t tell._

He hit something; a large mass knocking his arm out from under him and he fell. He crashed face first into heavy metal armor; his nose colliding with the metal with a sharp _clang_. He sat up, groaning and rubbing his nose, and opened his eyes.

_When had he closed them?_

Armor, silver armor lay in front of him; gold inlays decorating the breastplate.

He knew that armor.

His eyes traced up the still form to Time’s face. His eye covered by his hair.

_It’s not blonde. Why isn’t it blonde?_

His hair was dark, stuck together in thick clumps.

 

_He smelled blood._

 

He gasped, lunging forward and pushing Time onto his back. His knees felt wet, warm, and he had to swallow back bile when he realized it was blood.

 

_He smelled blood._

 

Time’s hair fell out of his face; leaving a smear of red as it reluctantly left its resting place. His eyes were half-lidded; one blank blue eye and one gaping hollow socket staring back at him. Time’s skin is wrinkled and chapped; blood dripping from the cracks. He choked on the air in his lungs and scrambled back. HIs hand slipped on the blood and he falls onto his back with a yelp.

He pushes himself to his elbows, and when he looks up, he sees even more bodies.

Twilight: collapsed on the ground with his throat torn out, blood and organs spread around his head and neck like gruesome halo.

Wind: dripping wet, water trickling from his mouth.

Legend: posed peacefully with his hands poised over his chest, as though he had been sleeping and merely forgot how to breath.

Warriors: sword in his hand covered in dripping stab wounds and crisp burns.

Hyrule: his throat slit and his blood leaking sluggishly onto the bed of ashes beneath him.

Sky: bones lying in awkward positions, and his neck _snapped_ by a long, _long_ fall.

And then, Wild: curled around himself covered in blood that wasn’t his, a glowing blue sword poking through his throat. Dried tears coated his cheeks, and his eyes were wide open. His face frozen forever in horror and guilt...his hand still resting on the hilt of the sword.

He scrambled back, his throat tightening around the massive chunk of ice that had made its home there. He stared in horror as the corpses turned to black dust blowing away from him; ashes in the wind.

 _No_.

He pushed himself off the ground and ran forward; fingers grasping hopelessly at the drifting particles.

Too late.

They had already drifted away.

He stood in the middle of the inky blackness...alone.

 

His ears filled with the sound of a rushing vortex. Gusts of wind tore at his clothes, his hair; pushing him too and fro like a leaf in a hurricane. The wind blew him back; he stumbled, yelped, and then the ground disappeared from under him and he was falling.

 

Falling…

 

Falling…

 

Falling…

 

Falling with nowhere to go.

* * *

Four jolted awake with a gasp of air.

His eyes snapped open only to fall shut when faced with bright morning sun directly in them.

“You back with us?” the voice came from close by his ear, and Four felt the steady rocking motion of someone walking underneath him. He slitted his eyes and looked up past the golden blonde hair tickling his face.

He was draped over Warriors’ back being carried by the knight as they walked. His eyes roamed over the surrounding area picking out each of the other Links: Time, Sky, Wind, Legend, Hyrule, and of course Warriors.

_What happened? Where are Wild and Twilight?_

He looked back at Warriors and was about to ask his question, but before he could speak, he saw Warriors. Warriors with his torso cut and burned and covered in blood. Warriors with that golden hair he was so proud of partially burnt to a blackened crisp and covered in thick, red, blood.

Four blinked and his vision went back to normal. Warriors stood there, craning his head to look at Four over his shoulder; perfectly healthy save for the dark bruises and fabric burns roped around his neck.

He was there, perfectly fine…

But Four couldn’t help it. He reached out and poked Warriors’ cheek with a trembling finger.

Warriors pulled his head back with a bemused expression.

Satisfied that what he was seeing was real, only the real Warriors could manage to look _that_ dumbfounded, Four sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“What did I miss.” he asked.

Warriors looked down, “Something’s wrong with Wild. We’re not sure what. Twilight ran ahead to Hateno to find this era’s Zelda and see if she does. We’re going to meet them there.”

“We’re certain Zelda’s in Hateno?”

Warriors bit his lip.

“...No.”

 


	15. Chapter 14: Run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This is where the "Living Rotting Body" tag comes into effect.

**West Necluda, Era of the Wild**

Four days.

He’d been running for four days, and he could finally see Hateno Tower looming in the distance. He’d barely stopped in all four days; pausing only for water and to catch small animals he could eat on the run.

 

_ Run. _

 

He could smell a faint scent of some odor from an unknown source. Unknown from where, but most definitely  _ unwelcome _ . It smelled of rot, pain,  _ death. _

 

_ Run. _

 

He had to hurry.

He looked back at the precious cargo tied to his back. He could see Wild’s teeth underneath his top lip; almost like he was grinning. But that wasn’t right; he was barely conscious.

He narrowed his eyes, ‘What the hell?’

 

Twilight choked.

 

_ Run. _

 

He knew where that smell was coming from now, and oh it was even more unwelcome.

 

_ Run. _

 

Because Wild wasn’t grinning. No,  _ his skin was gone. _ A patch of flesh on his right cheek was rotting away; muscle and blood vessels corroding and revealing a white flash of Wild’s teeth in a morbid, skeleton grin.

 

_ Run. _

* * *

 

Two days later he bolted through the gates to Hateno, paws splashing water on the poor guard standing by. Rain was coming down in sheets and he could hear the distant sound of rumbling thunder.

He scrambled up the hill to the tech lab, and crashed his front paws onto the front door with a loud smash. His claws scratched against the wooden door, and he was barking and howling up a storm.

He shifted to his human form and banged a fist on the door.

He was about ready to break the door when it opened revealing a cranky six-year-old girl.

“What!” she shouted, then she caught sight of the person draped over his back, “Linky?”

A flash of lightning crackled through the air illuminating Wild’s gray right hand, partially gray face, and the spider web of veiny malice crawling across his body.

The girl’s eyes widened.

“...ZELDA!!”

 


	16. Chapter 15: Failure

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

The blonde teenager who rushed down the stairs obviously hadn’t been sleeping. She was dressed in a fitted blue shirt and brown traveling pants, and there were dark bags under her eyes. Though the apparent lack of sleep didn’t seem to have an affect on her energy levels.

“Yes Purrah, who was it?” she inquired.

Then she looked up and froze.

“What? Who…?” she saw Wild and her eyes went wide.

“It’s a long story, just call me Twilight,” Twilight spoke, voice trembling, “Listen something’s wrong with him and we need your help. Can you help him?”

Zelda drew herself up; the posture of a princess overtaking that of a teenager. Questions were forced to the back of her mind and she turned to the table in the middle of the room, pushing papers and tools to the floor without a care.

“Put him here for now.” she ordered.

Twilight nodded and pulled a dagger from his boot sawing through the ropes around Wild’s waist and wrists. Once free he gently lowered Wild onto the table.

Zelda leant in over Wild, her fingers tracing over the dark veins marking his face muttering quiet notes to herself.

“This is definitely malice.” she muttered as Purrah stood atop a chair and started writing her own notes.

“Have there been any other problems since these showed up?” Purrah demanded looking at Twilight.

“He was really tired, tripping over nothing, and staring at empty space a lot before any of us saw the marks. At some point something made him put on his ancient armor and he lost control of his body, that’s when the marks started visibly showing.” he reported. Purrah nodded and began frantically taking notes, muttering every word she wrote to herself.

Zelda cast a sidelong glance at him, “You’re probably tired. There’s extra beds upstairs, you should rest.”

Twilight shook his head vigorously, “I’m staying here.”

Zelda sighed and nodded; then proceeded to completely ignore him as she lifted Wild’s hand and traced the path of the veins up his arm. She tugged his sleeve up revealing three long scars pulsing in ever shifting shades of pink, black, and purple; the webby veins covering Wild’s right side emanating from the scratches.

“I remember these cuts,” Zelda mumbled as Purrah snatched the Sheikah Slate from Wild’s hip and took a photo of the scars, “he got these right as I was sealing away Calamity Ganon.”

Twilight bit his lip, bouncing on the balls of his feet, “Can you fix it?”

Zelda clenched her fists at her sides, “Perhaps. My sealing power has been known to be able to remove malice from corrupted creatures, though I’ve as of yet been unable to fully study its capabilities.”

Twilight hesitated, there was a history there and it wasn’t a happy one, “...It’s worth a try, right?”

Zelda nodded and held her shaking hand over Wild’s chest.

Purrah placed her hand over Zelda’s arm, “You can do this Zelly, it’ll work this time.”

Zelda took a breath, and Twilight suddenly felt every bit like an unwelcome intruder.

Her hand steadied and her eyes slipped shut. The triforce of wisdom on her hand glowed, dimmed, and then the light went out completely.

Zelda furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips, “Come on.”

“Come on.”

“Come on you stupid idiot you’re not allowed to die on me a second time because I was too slow.”

If it hadn’t been for his particularly keen senses Twilight wouldn’t have been able to hear her words, but the time for questions wasn’t now.

The glow came back twice as bright. Golden light flooding the room like an exploding star.

Twilight stared at the beautiful light; a light that inexplicably filled him with hope.

 

Then the screaming started.

 

Wild.

 

_Wild was screaming._

 

Twilight looked at his protege a million horrible predictions of what he might see flying through his mind.

None of them were the virtual war he could see happening in Wild’s body.

Golden light met inky darkness slowly pushing the infection back.

 

But the infection retaliated.

 

It sprang towards the light ripping and shredding; no longer affected by the holy radiation.

The veins crept further, faster.

_Wild was still screaming._

His chest spasmed, blood sprayed from his mouth, more of his face turned gray, and a patch of bloody flesh fell away from his cheek revealing even more of his teeth beginning to crack and splinter.

 

Drip…

 

Drip…

 

Drip…

 

_Oh Goddess._

 

Dripping from Wild’s eyes were twin trails of blood; a vicious mockery of the tears that had trickled down his face as he’d stabbed his own blade into his throat.

 

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Twilight shouted grabbing Zelda’s hand trying to pull it back as gently as his panicked mind would allow.

Zelda’s eyes were wide, frightened, _horrified_. She yanked her hand away from Wild, but the light didn’t stop.

It grew and grew, brighter and brighter until it filled the room completely.

 

_Boom!_

 

A roar.

 

And then dense black, pink, and purple fog exploded from Wild’s body.But this…this was threaded with streaks of dulled gold.

The fog grew, expanded, and _consumed_. Overtaking the light of the exploding star like a black hole. It spread through the room like a shockwave eradicating every light, and blasting Wild’s vigilant observers back across the floor.

The fog moaned, and groaned, and growled, and vanished.

Twilight, Purrah, and Zelda pushed themselves off the floor and were left staring at Wild; lying on the table gasping for breath and choking on his own blood.

 


	17. Chapter 16: An Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have put this here sooner, but I really don't recomend reading this while eating.

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

**Three Days Later**

Time’s knock echoed in the peaceful quiet of the early morning sun. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but when Twilight opened the door the sun’s light seemed to get a little dimmer.

He was tired. His hair was a tangled mess, there were dark bags under his eyes, and he looked thinner. Whatever he would be able to tell them, it wouldn’t be good news.

Time swallowed, “Anything?”

Twilight remained silent, but stepped out of the doorway and gestured for them to follow him.

It was the smell that hit them first. The smell of a rotting body. What hit Warriors the hardest though was how familiar the smell was. It smelled like a battlefield; fallen corpses everywhere, to many to clear away quickly leaving the air saturated with the smell of rot, and the feeling of loss so tangible you could almost taste it.

Wild lay on a table to the side of the room. A thin mattress placed between him and the wood; his head pillowed by the rolled up black pelt that usually sat around Twilight’s shoulders. Zelda and Purrah sat on the floor beside him, papers scattered on the floor around them, quietly whispering back and forth.

Wild though…

They stepped closer to get a better look at him. Half of his face had turned that awful, sickly gray, and most of his right cheek was gone, pieces of his nose gone with it. A patch of flesh on his right hand was gone too; revealing the yellowed finger bones underneath. His breathing is horribly labored and his eyes are half-lidded. His left eye had rolled over to see them, but his right eye was completely absent, a hollow, bleeding socket all there was.

“Is…” Wind started in a shaky voice, “Is he...conscious?”

Twilight winced, “Somewhat…”

There was the sound of someone retching, and, perhaps the last one they would have expected to, Legend bolted for the nearest door. He crashed through the door at the back of the lab holding his hand desperately over his mouth. The others hear the sound of someone falling into the grass followed by loud retching.

Sky cringed and looked back and forth between Wild and the door; then he bolts toward the door with one last worried glance at Wild.

Hyrule looks a little green, but when he speaks his voice is strong and steady, “What’s happening to him? Really happening?”

Zelda looks up at him; the bags under her eyes look like bruises and her eyes are glossy, “From what we can figure it seems that the malice in his body is forcing his body’s time to move forward faster than it should be.”

“Meaning?” Four asked the skin on his face pulled into a taught grimace.

“Meaning instead of time progressing as it should and his body aging at a natural pace it’s aging so rapidly that it’s just giving out. Flesh is decomposing and his organs are shutting down as though he’s already dead.” Zelda replied sadly.

“Can we stop it?” Wind asked.

Before Zelda could reply Warriors interrupts with a question of his own, “What about your powers, all of the Zelda’s have had powers, did yours help?”

Zelda’s fists clench.

“They made it worse.” she answers miserably.

Warriors froze.

“The cuts that the malice got into his body through,” she continued with a wobbly voice, “he got them from the Calamity at the same time as I was sealing it away. Some the energy from my power got into his system with the malice, and somehow the malice absorbed it making it immune to my power.”

“Oh…” Warriors whispered, then he winced as Twilight shot a glare at him, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Don’t be it was a completely logical question.” Zelda responded, but she  didn’t lift her head from where it had fallen to gaze at her clenched hands.

“What if we were to turn his body’s time back?”

They all looked to Time at the sound of his voice.

“What do you mean?” Zelda inquired.

“You said the malice was rapidly accelerating his body’s time, so what if we reverse that?” Time reiterated meeting her eyes.

“It could work.” Purrah spoke.

They all turned to her at the new voice.

Purrah looked at Time her face uncharacteristically serious, “It wouldn’t completely remove the malice from his body so it wouldn’t be a permanent solution, but it could slow down or even stop the process. It might buy us some more time.”

“How much of that do we have right now?” Time asks.

Zelda looks at Wild, “At the rate the malice is spreading, a few days.”

Four coughed, “A few days for it to spread to the rest of his body, but it’s been nine days and it’s barely past his arm.”

“It doesn’t need to spread to the rest of his body.” Twilight says sullenly from where he leant against the wall, “It only has to spread to a part that he can’t survive without. It’s already spread to one of his lungs and it’s completely stopped working. If the malice spreads to his heart, his brain, his other lung…”

He didn’t need to finish that sentence.

Purrah looks at Time again, “Can you do it?”

Time hesitates for a second, just a second, but it’s more hesitation than the others have ever seen.

Then he nods, “I think so.”

 


	18. Chapter 17: Time's Song

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

Legend collapses to his knees almost as soon as he’s out the door, and what little food there is in his stomach fights its way into the light of day.

The light around him faded and he was kneeling in a dark, subterranean dungeon, and lying in front of him was his bloodied, dying uncle. His only family, dying on the floor, handing him a blood coated sword and telling him to save a princess. He’d stayed until his uncle had died; then walked away his hands and knees slicked with blood.

He’d brought his uncle back. He was back home just as he’d been before, but Legend could never wipe the memory of his family lying on a stone floor leaking blood and struggling for breath.

An image of Wild replaced the vision of his uncle.

Again.

Again his friend, his  _ family _ , was lying in front of him barely able to breathe. Again his family was dying, and again it wasn’t something he could fight off with his sword or banish with the clever use of one of his hoard of magic items.

By the time he came back to reality he was dry heaving, and a familiar hand was rubbing soothing circles on his back. Legend struggled to get his breathing back under control, and then Sky was holding a waterskin out for him, hand still a steady grounding pressure on his back.

Legend swatted the hand away.

“I’m fine.” he croaked, but nonetheless he grabbed the waterskin and sloshed the leathery water around his mouth then spat it out to chase away the taste of bile. Legend pulled his knees out from under him and sat back against the wall.

He heard Sky make disbelieving sound and narrowed his eyes at the other hero, “I’m tellin ya, I’m fine. It’s just because of the lack of sleep.”

“Uh huh,” Sky intoned sliding to the ground beside him, “and what are you blaming the lack of sleep on?”

_ Shit. _

He was trapped. Just a little trapped, but he didn’t have the energy to find a way out right now.

He groaned, “Can you not? I really don’t feel like having an emotional talk session.”

Sky sighed quietly, “Yeah, me neither.”

Legend snorted, “Ooh that’s a first.”

Sky nudged an elbow against Legend’s arm; then pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on them lightly twisting two of his fingers over the first knuckle of his left index finger.

The two heroes sat in silence for several minutes.

“What do we do?” Legend asked quietly.

Sky looked at him sadly, then turned his gaze to the rising sun, “Everything we can.”

The silence was interrupted by a series crescendoing notes floating through the air in a beautiful, mystic song thrumming with magic,  _ powerful magic _ . The song faded and it seemed like the whole world had frozen to admire the sound.

The peace was shattered by an ear splitting scream.

Legend and Sky launched to their feet and flew through the door.

Inside Wild was coughing blood. Time and Twilight were holding him in a sitting position while Warriors held a bowl to catch the blood. The blue ocarina that was usually tied around Time’s waist now lay forgotten on the ground.

“What happened!?” Legend calls as he and Sky run to the table.

“We tried something, and apparently it didn’t work!” Four shouts back.

“Oh no,” Purrah objects, “it worked.”

The Links all look at her incredulously; only Zelda seems to understand what she’d said.

“It’s like the stasis rune on the Sheikah Slate,” Zelda elaborates, “the motion of an object is halted but force applied to the object still affects it, but instead of affecting it normally all of the force applied to it acts all at once.

She looks up at Time, “The song you played did stop the malice’s progress spreading through his body, but when you stopped playing the progress that it would have made in that time happened at the same time.”

“So what you’re saying is that this could work, but I’d have to play continuously.” Time replies.

Zelda bites her lip and nods.

Time gives his own nod, then stoops to pick up the forgotten ocarina. He resolutely pulls a chair closer to the table, sits down, and keeps playing.

 


	19. Chapter 18: A Solution?

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

Two days.

For two days they’d waited; the Song of Time their constant companion. Constantly, they searched for an answer. There was never a time over those two days that there wasn’t someone wasn’t watching Wild and keeping Time company as he played constantly, his notes never faltering. There was never a time that someone wasn’t awake and searching Purrah’s collection of books or scouring for information on Wild’s Sheikah Slate.

Now Twilight, Sky, and Zelda had met in one of the upstairs bedrooms to discuss their findings, and anything they hadn’t yet tried.

 

Nothing.

 

They’d found nothing.

 

“How much time do we have left?” Sky asked lifting his head tiredly.

Twilight shook his head, “I don’t know. We have to hurry though. He’ll do his damndest, but Time can’t keep this up forever.”

The three of them sat in silence listening to the gentle melody of the Song of Time. They’d really started to hate that song.

“Did you try asking her?” Twilight asks Sky gesturing to the purple-hilted sword on his back.

Sky shook his head, “She’s not talking to me.”

Zelda gazed at the mystical sword. The sword that had once told her how to save her friend’s life. Would it do so again?

Her eyes widened, “The sword.”

Sky and Twilight turned questioning eyes on her.

“What?” Sky asks, “What about her?”

“The Sword That Seals the Darkness.” Zelda whispers, not responding to either question.

Twilight opened his mouth to ask another question.

Before he can speak Zelda is on her feet waking rapidly to the door muttering, “No, that can’t be it. There has to be a better solution; I just need to find it.”

“What, Zelda what do you mean? Did you figure something out?” Twilight calls walking after her, but before he can catch up with her, she’s already out the door and slamming it shut behind her.

Twilight sighs and looks back to Sky.

“Can you ask her?” he requests.

Sky opens his mouth to answer, “She won’t-”

“I know you said she wasn’t talking to you just...just try.” Twilight says desperately.

Sky nods quietly, “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later Sky sits cross-legged in the grass outside the lab. The Master Sword is planted point first in the dirt before him, and his hands are clasped around the hilt.

“Please,” he whispers, “please, if you have any answer, any at all, please just tell me.”

The blade flickers for just a second.

“Please.”

The blade begins to glow again; this time it stays.

Sky’s shoulders tense; his breathing quickens and his eyes are clenched shut. He grips the hilt tighter and his breaths flow in and out of his body in their own meaningful rhythm.

_ No. No. No. No. _

Sky flings himself away from the holy sword toppling backwards and catching himself on his elbows. He’s staring at the blade as the glow fades; eyes wide and terrified with nervous sweat pouring down his face.

_ No. _

 


	20. Chapter 19: This is the Worst Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So this story is starting to come to a close; it's going to be done in a few chapters. I'm planning to do something like this for each of the Links. I only have a set idea/plan for Time and Twilight after this one. I'm doing a poll to decide which one I'm doing next; I'll post a link to the poll on my Tumblr @naturaldisaster-goddess on Monday, March 25 at 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time and I'll leave it up until Friday, March 29 at 9:30 am Pacific Standard Time. So if you want to go and submit an answer it'd really help me out.

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

Sky was still shaking when he walked back into the main floor of the lab. Time and Four looked up from where they sat beside Wild, and Hyrule turned from his spot by the massive bookcase.

“Sky,” Hyrule called worriedly, “what’s wrong why are you shaking?”

Sky swallowed and looked up.

“I know how to save him.”

* * *

 

Five minutes later they all were grouped beside the table in something of a “U” shape. Sky stood with The Master Sword held loosely in his grip twisting his fingers around his left index knuckle.

“Sky,” Warriors starts, “you said you know how to get rid of the malice?”

Sky bit his lip and nodded, “She can.”

He holds The Master Sword up. The others’ eyes widen, but Zelda looks down.

“How,” Twilight asks, “just physical contact-”

“No,” Zelda interrupts, every eye in the room looks to her downtrodden face, “The Master Sword’s energy should be able to purify the malice, but it would have to be introduced to his body the same way the malice was. Even more directly if we want it to work quickly enough.”

Sky nods his head sadly.

Silence.

“You mean we have to-!” Wind can’t finish the question, but everyone knows what he was going to say. Somewhere behind them a note in the Song of Time comes out a little sour before the rhythm is quickly regained.

Zelda nods quietly; then she turns and runs out of the room. As she runs they all think they catch a glimmer of tears slipping from her eyes. Purrah moves to run after her, but she’s stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looks up and it’s Warriors.

“I think I got this.” he says, and without waiting for a response he strides out the door.

* * *

 

He found her sitting on the stairs hunched over her knees with her hands clasped in front of her. No tears were falling, but it was a close thing.

Warriors stepped up to sit beside her clicking his foot against one of the stone steps as he moved. He didn’t speak; if this conversation was going to go anywhere Zelda had to start it.

“Why can’t I do anything?” she whispered.

That wasn’t quite what he’d expected.

“What do you mean?” he asks equally quiet.

“All my life I was told that I needed to unlock my power to solve the problems facing my people. All my life with people thinking that if I could use the power passed through my family that it would be all I needed to solve everything. All my life never having it.” she says miserably, staring ahead into another place, another time, “And when I finally get it, finally unlock a power that’s supposed to be my birthright; it’s too late. Too late to save my kingdom. Too late to save my best friend. And here I am again; with a power that’s supposed to solve everything, and I only made it worse.”

_ Oh Hylia I am not the person for this, _ he thought, then immediately followed it with,  _ shut up, I said I had this. I may not be the best person for this but at least I’m someone. _

“One power is never going to be enough to solve everything; even the power of a goddess.” he says, “But that’s not all you have, is it?”

She looks at him curiously.

“He talks about you, you know.” Warriors continues, and he doesn’t need to explain who he’s talking about, “You know what he talks about? He talks about how smart you are, how kind. He talks about how excited you get over a new discovery. He talks about the time you tried to make him eat a frog. He talks about how when one way you could help your people wasn’t working out; you found another. He talks about how you sealed yourself away with the incarnation of evil for a hundred years to protect your people, how you always tried to guide him through every step of his journey even though you knew he didn’t remember you.”

He says nothing for a moment, “Having the power of a goddess may help solve problems, but you’re the one who actually solves them, power or no power.”

“But when I tried-” she started.

“-when you tried something to try and solve a problem you found out that it didn’t work,” he interrupts, “and crossed one more possibility off the list and narrowed down our options. You didn’t find a solution, but you got us closer to one and now we do have a solution.”

Zelda looks down, “I hate this solution.”

“So do I. It’s a terrible solution,” he responds, “but it’s the only solution we have.”

He looks down at her, “You don’t have to be there for it.”

“Yes I do.” there’s steel in her voice.

* * *

 

His fingers are cramping when they walk back inside. Nothing new, they’ve been cramping for somewhere around forty hours now.

The others had already moved Wild to the floor when the door opens admitting Warriors and Zelda. There’s a hard glint in Zelda’s eyes, and when Warriors looks at her there’s pride, confidence.

“Well,” she says as she straightens her back her voice coming out strong and confident, “are we doing this or not.”

Her confidence is infectious and Time has to stifle a smirk as the others scramble to stand where she directs them. He didn’t know if this would work; he just knew it had to.

They had suffered, all of them. They had lost, and been lost. And many things had been taken from them that they could never get back.

_ Not this. _

No matter what fate, the universe, karma, the goddess’, or anything else had to say…

_ They weren’t losing another friend. _

Sky is shaking as he holds The Master Sword up; point facing down towards Wild’s chest.

Twilight is the first to move.

He wraps his hand around the hilt of the sword beside Sky’s in a white knuckled grip. The others follow soon after; all clutching the sword in silent support and solidarity.

It’s awkward. Several of them are holding the guard or the blade itself, but they refuse to let go. The sword glows; bright, silvery blue like the moon. Every one of them can feel the emotion coming off of her; deep sorrow, but with it, determination.

The boys, _ because that’s what they are and always will be to him, _ meet each other’s eyes, and in one silent, agreed motion…

They plunge the sword down.

 


	21. Chapter 20: The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Implied suicidal tenancies  
> Here is the link for the poll I'm doing to decide the next part of the series. Again this will be up until Friday, March 29 at 9:30 am Pacific Standard Time, and the link will also be on my tumblr.  
>  https://www.quotev.com/quiz/11780558/Next-Part-of-My-Corruption-Series

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

There’s light.

Bright, blinding light as though all the stars in the universe are colliding right in the middle of a small lab in Hateno.

The blade of the sword grew hot, burning hot; searing into the their palms and fingers.

 

Then the light was gone.

 

In its place was  a dull red glow and pounding rain. They could hear thunder rumbling in the distance, and they could no longer feel the weight of The Master Sword in their hands.

They were in a field. It was dark, but they recognized the field. They’d been there recently; just a day before the malice had taken Wild over. It was different though, guardian husks that had been there when they’d passed through were no longer where they should be.

 

_ There was blood on the ground. _

 

Bright patches of half-dried crimson liquid dotting the grass in a morbid, horrible trail...A trail that led straight to a very familiar figure.

Wild stood in the field covered in blood, his hair shorter, his tunic ripped and burnt, and covered in wounds.

Burns scraped along his side, his left leg could barely support his weight, what they could see of his left ear was shredded and barely there, his face was scraped and burned blood leaking into his left eye, and his breathing was ragged and irregular each one torn from his lungs by a stubborn will to live.

He was leaning on The Master Sword. Her blade was cracked and chipped, and mud coated the glossy surface. 

Zelda stood behind him wrapped in a mud covered white dress her hands on his back as a glowing guardian crawled to them; metal claws making hideous, ominous  _ clacks _ on the ground as it climbed over the corpses of its fallen brethren. Zelda pulled on Wild’s shoulder desperately, but he showed no reaction.

Wild grit his teeth and pulled himself into a standing position; unsteady, stumbling, but  _ standing _ . He stood in front of Zelda glaring with the rage of a thousand suns at the guardian before him; even when a shining red laser from the guardian’s eye focused on his forehead. The eye glowed brighter as power gathered to deliver one final killing shot to the Hero of the Wild.

Zelda rushed forwards, and this time they could hear her desperate scream as she pushed him away from the laser

“NO!”

echoing with desperation, care,  _ regret _ .

She held her hand aloft and beautiful glowing light sprung forth. The glow vanished and the guardian in front of her shook, shuddered, and finally, collapsed.

A thud.

Wild’s leg had finally given out, and he crashed to the ground. They rushed forward, fear flooding their minds, crashing to the ground as the princess pulled their friend into her arms breathlessly  _ begging _ for him to open his eyes.

He pulled them open and dragged his head up to look at her one last time. Then his head fell back, his eyes sliding shut as he went limp ragged breaths freezing in his chest.

Tears fell from Zelda’s eyes, and that was the last thing they saw before the color drained from the world around them.

* * *

 

The color came back slowly. Leaching into the crevices of their vision to create a full picture of the scene before them. 

The scene they saw was not slow.

They saw Wild knocked into a wall by the glowing spear held by a massive, writhing... _ thing _ . They ran forward; the bloody, dead form of their friend still fresh in their minds.

They reached him before he got up, right as he was gathering his arms beneath him, but their hands passed right through him like mere ghosts.

Then he lifted his head, and they could see his eyes. They were empty and vacant; none of the fiery, untamable spirit they knew. Even as he ran forward to face the beast again his eyes were blank. He looked like he was already dead.

_ Because he didn’t care if he was. _

* * *

 

It was dark.

There was pain.

Piercing, burning pain in his chest, but he didn’t have the energy to scream.

The other pain though; the creeping, acid burning emptiness. It was leaving, retreating; he felt whole again.

Then the piercing burn in his chest was gone. He didn’t feel pain anymore; only warmth. A familiar voice bringing him back to life.

There were more voices; worried, questioning shouts.

One spoke into his ear; rising above the din of noise.

“Welcome back dumbass.”

_ Zelda? _

 


	22. Chapter 21: More Than One Way to Say Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Chapter Title: "Local Dad Is Really Tired, Let Him Sleep"

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

It was quiet when he woke; the air floating with whispering voices, rustling papers, shuffling cards, and quiet snores. Soft fur still pillowed his head, and a soft blanket had been pulled up to his chest. A strange weight pinned his legs in place, and there was a lock of hair tickling his neck that didn’t belong to the pelt under his head.

When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Sky sitting attentively beside Wind as the younger animatedly described The Great Sea from his home. A glance to his immediate right revealed Twilight sitting in a chair  quietly flipping through a sketchbook as Zelda sat beside him describing each of the carefully drawn plants inside. To his left Time was slumped over the table, arms folded over the pillow supporting his head and a thin blanket tossed over his still armored shoulders; a lock of hair flopping over the side of the pillow to brush against Wild’s neck. Straight in front of him Legend and Warriors sat across the table from each other, playing cards clutched in their hands. Warriors was simmering in silent fury glaring across the table at Legend who stared back with a self-satisfied smirk. Farther down the table between them Four sat atop Wild’s legs with Hyrule leaning on the table next to him. Four held Wild’s Sheikah Slate aloft and pointed at Warriors, and both had mischievous grins on their faces as they chuckled quietly.

Wind was the first to notice his slitted eyes. His eyes grew wide as he stopped talking mid sentence causing Sky to scrunch his eyebrows and follow Wind’s gaze. Bright smiles lit their faces.

“You’re awake!” Sky exclaimed in a whispered shout.

Wind wasted no time on such statements and was already leaping on top of the table to wrap his arms around Wild’s neck with a hissed, “Finally!”

Wild’s breath escaped him as Wind crashed into his chest, but he still brought his arm up to wrap around Wind as he leaned on his other elbow.

Warriors looked up alongside the others and laughed quietly, “Hey, look who’s back.”

He tossed his cards onto the table revealing what would have been a pretty shitty hand and leaned forward to get a better look at Wild’s face.

“He lives!” Legend whispers sarcastically dropping his own hand of cards.

Hyrule sends him a bright smile and waves while Four grins mischievously and turns the Sheikah Slate to show Wild Warriors’ furious red face forever immortalized in full color making him stifle his amused chuckles.

Zelda is darting for a pen and several pieces of paper looking ready to interrogate him as soon as she could.

Twilight leans into Wild’s field of vision, a worried but relieved smile on his face, “How are you feeling?”

Wild nods distractedly his eyes scanning the other Links with a worried gaze; picking out Hyrule’s slightly stiff left shoulder, Wind’s leg, and the mostly faded bruising circling Warriors’ neck.

He hears Four scoff and then the small hero is leaning forward over Wild’s torso to flick his forehead, “We’re fine Wild, quit your worrying.”

Legend leans an arm on the table to bend closer and give his own scathing remark, but when his palm hits the table several playing cards slide out of his sleeve.

He snaps his arm back, “ _ Shit! _ ”

“I knew it!” Warriors cries pointing an accusing finger at Legend.

Before he can continue his tirade Wild hears a quiet, displeased grunt and sees a white silver blur to his left. Then a pillow is slamming into Warriors’ face making him stumble back.

The pillow falls from Warriors’ face and he is met with a lethal one-eyed glare burning holes into his soul.

“Sorry.” he whispers.

Time grunts moodily and drops his arm back to the table as his eye slips shut as he slides peacefully back into the world of dreams.

Then Zelda is in front of him; pen and paper in hand and mouth open ready to mine for answers. Before she can say anything Twilight rests a hand on her shoulder. He meets her eyes when she looks up, and then he sends a meaningful glance to the other Links. They all nod and quietly slide from their positions slipping out the door of the lab in silence. Zelda hesitates a bit longer; then she to is walking out after retrieving the fallen pillow and carefully sliding it back underneath Time’s arms.

The front door closes with a resounding thud, and Wild and Twilight are the only conscious occupants in the room.

Wild opens his mouth

_ To explain, apologize,  _ anything _. _

But his throat closes and all that comes out is a dry croak.

He freezes.

_ Why can’t I talk? It’s gone. I should be able to talk. I could always talk around them. _

His breathing picks up, and flies into a sitting position his hand clutching his throat. 

He hears someone hissing his name; there’s a hand pulling his away from his throat and fingers snapping in his face. Wild’s gaze is pulled to Twilight, and the older hero grabs Wild’s hand tracing his finger over the palm over and over in a repeating pattern.

Wild pulls his eyes shut forcing himself to focus on the patterns being traced into his palm. His breathing slows marginally and he begins to recognize letters. Letters shaping into words shaping into sentences.

_ ‘Calm down. It’s ok.’ _

Over and over and over until his breathing settles. His shoulders relax and he opens his eyes, nodding at Twilight.

Twilight nods back and gently pushes Wild back down onto the table. He keeps his hold on Wild’s hand and continues to trace his words onto the palm.

‘ _ There’s something you need to know. _ ’

Wild turns his gaze to Twilight, bites his lip and nods.

‘ _ Sky and Zelda figured out how to get rid of the malice in your body, but when we did...we saw something. Sky, Wind, Warriors, Legend, Hyrule, Four, and I. They might have been your memories, or they might have been remnants of Ganon’s, but...We saw what happened in the field...with Zelda during the Calamity. And your fight in Vah Ruta. _ ’

Wild’s breath froze in his chest. He goes to respond, but Twilight is already continuing.

‘ _ I know, and we’re sorry, and no one will ever bring it up again if you don’t want us to, but… _ ’

There’s a long pause in Twilight’s writing.

‘ _ Wild...are you ok?’ _

Wild doesn’t respond for several moments. Then, slowly, he nods. He opens his mouth to say something again, but his voice still doesn’t work. Instead he turns on his side and twists his hand around to grab Twilight’s.

‘ _ I couldn’t talk. _ ’ he writes.

‘ _ There’s been so much I want to say to you guys, but I always felt like I couldn’t say it. Then I couldn’t talk, and I thought I’d never get to say it. Say that- _ ’

Twilight’s hand is pulled from his grip, and the older hero is shifting to sit on the edge of the table pulling him up into a gentle hug. Twilight’s arms wrap around him and for the first time Wild realizes he’s shaking and tears are poking at the corners of his eyes. He wraps his arms around Twilight clutching desperately at his shirt.

“We know.” Twilight whispers, “Don’t worry, we know.”

The tears are starting to fall and Twilight tucks Wild’s head under his chin and smooths his fingers over his hair.

“There’s more than one way to say something.”

 


	23. Chapter 22: Bonehead and Herb Nerd

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

“Give me your hand.” Zelda orders.

Almost defiantly, Wild holds out his left hand. Zelda immediately slaps it down gently.

“Other hand idiot!” she cries though a smile lights her face.

Wild huffs out a small laugh then holds out his right hand. She cups his hand running her fingers over the regrown patch of skin and muscle.

“Can you move all of you fingers properly?”

He nods in response, flexing his fingers back and forth. Zelda nods and takes a step back; moving to stand directly in front of him.

“Close your left eye.”

He does so.

“Can you see anything?”

Wild squints his eye and leans forward just slightly. Zelda’s brows furrow and she starts to look concerned, but then Wild speaks…

“I see a huge nerd.” he says flatly.

Zelda’s face scrunches up, her lower left eyelid twitching in irritation. Then she whips her arm up and throws her pen directly in Wild’s face with pinpoint accuracy, “Oh fuck you ,you little shit!”

The pen nails Wild right in the nose and his hand come up to cover it, reflexive tears of pain and mirth pooling at his eyes as he giggles unrepentantly.

Zelda storms back next to him and shoves her hand down the back of his shirt.

Wild hisses and arches his back as her fingers make contact with his skin, “Your hands are cold!”

Zelda stares dead-eyed into his face, “Oh pardon me Your Highness. Now take a deep breath.”

Wild mumbles something along the lines of,  _ You could buy me dinner first _ , then complies, taking a long breath. He throws a glance over his shoulder at Time, still bent over the table, sound asleep.

Odd, Time was a light sleeper, they should have woken him by now.

“Did you drug him or something?” he asks.

“He woke up still dizzy and refused to go back to sleep.” Zelda deadpanned, utterly without remorse.

Wild snorted.

Zelda pulls her hand away from Wild’s back, “Your breathing seems fine, and everything else appears to be working properly. At this point I think it’s safe to say that you likely won’t be experiencing any major side effects.”

“So I can get up now?” Wild asks already pulling himself off the table. Zelda makes no move to stop him.

His legs give out as soon as he tries to put weight on them, and he falls face first onto the floor.

“No because we still didn’t manage to get you to eat anything for eleven days, and you need to rebuild that strength and nutrients before you even  _ consider _ walking.” Zelda explains, grabbing Wild’s arm and pulling him back onto the table.

Wild groans, but allows Zelda to maneuver him back onto the surface. She finally manages to get him seated on top of the table, but she doesn’t let go of his arm.

“It’s good to have you back Bonehead.” she whispers sincerely.

Wild turns to look at her, then he smiles slightly, “Good to see you too Herb Nerd.”

 


	24. An Important Talk

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

Wild was still awake several hours later when he felt Time start to shift. The older hero pushed himself off the table with a groan, and held a hand shakily to his forehead. He looked up  blearily when Wild held a glass of water towards him.

“Zelda said you’d probably have a headache and be thirst when you woke up.” he explains.

She wasn’t wrong, his head was pounding like a goron forge had taken up residence inside and his tongue felt like a summer desert.

Time grabbed the glass and tossed his head back to let the water slide down his throat. He set the glass down and immediately winced when the light streaming through a nearby window bounced off the glass to hit his eye.

“I am never falling asleep near her again.” he says as he pushes the cup out of the light.

Wild snorts and looks back down to the blue fabric sitting on his lap.

He bites his lip, “What happened? With all of you, I mean.”

Time narrows his eye at Wild, but cautiously still replies, “Cuts, bruises, and a couple fractured bones; nothing we couldn’t handle. You wound up taking the most damage.”

Wild cringes, dropping the needle and thread in his hand and immediately goes to sign.

Time recognizes the beginnings of the circular motions for ‘ _ I’m sorry _ ’ before he reaches out his hand to stop him. He catches Wild’s hand and makes sure he has the younger’s attention before letting go to sign back.

‘ _ Don’t be, you’ve nothing to be sorry for. _ ’

Wild starts to sign back, ‘ _ But- _ ’

Time shakes his head. Then immediately regrets it as the forge in his head relights with new ferocity, but he ignores it for now and makes sure his gaze is completely steady as he signs to Wild.

‘ _ Stop. You were taken over by something you had no control over; it could have happened to anyone of us. _ ’

Wild looks like he wants to disagree, but a stern look from Time is all it takes to stifle the protest until he finishes signing.

‘ _ Yes it could, trust me. So what if it had been me, or Twilight, or Wind, or Sky, or Warriors, or Legend, or Four, or Hyrule in your place. Would that have been our fault? _ ’

Wild signs back vehemently, ‘ _ No! Of course no- _ ’

He freezes, realizing the trap he’s been led into.

Time smiles gently, ‘ _ Exactly. I know it’s hard, but you have to learn to give yourself the same forgiveness you would the others. _ ’

Wild looks back down. He nods slowly, and then picks up the needle and thread he’d dropped earlier.

Time leans in to get a better look at the blue fabric, “So what’s this?”

 


	25. Chapter 24: Safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody, the results from my poll for the next part of this are in, and the winner is Twilight. I'll start planning for that, and hopefully I'll be able to start posting it soon. Thank you to everyone who participated, and everyone who read this part! I'm not going to do an official poll for it but I am curious as to if you all would rather each part of the series be connected or completely separate, you're welcome to post a comment to let me know, or message me on Tumblr if you'd like.

**Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, Era of the Wild**

Warriors was sitting peacefully on the stairs, polishing his armor when Wild found him. He’s staring steadfastly at the glimmering metal, and then looks up when a shadow falls over him. Wild is standing over him, awkwardly fiddling with a small package wrapped in brown paper.

“Hey,” Warriors says, setting his armor aside and patting the empty space next to him, “Zelda finally let out of bed?”

Wild nods and sits down beside Warriors, after a moment of hesitation he hands over the package.

Warriors raises an eyebrow, but still takes the parcel, “What’s this?”

Wild is twisting the edge of his cloak between his fingers, “Just open it.”

Warriors looks even more confused, but he does as he’s told pulling the paper apart. Unsurprisingly, underneath the paper is a small box. Warriors pulls the lid off revealing a piece of folded blue fabric. His eyes widen as he starts to figure out what it is. He grabs the fabric and lifts it out of the box unveiling a long, slender, blue scarf tipped in fiery orange. Warriors mouth falls open just slightly at the sight of the silken material; then he sees what’s at the ends. On each end of the scarf is a carefully embroidered design; one side holds a clever combination of the royal crest that had been on his old scarf and the motif of The Master Sword that decorated Wild’s tunic. It was stitched in a beautiful thread of an indescribable, ever-shifting color: pale blue one moment, then green, silver, lavender. On the other end was stitched a curled dragon of the same color surrounded by white-green arcs of lightning. Each scale had been stitched with painstaking detail, and Warriors could pick out tiny holes in the fabric where the creator had deemed the stitching unsatisfactory and ripped it out to repeat the process.

Warriors stared in awe at the beautiful creation as Wild sat beside him twisting his cloak and waiting for a response.

“Did you make this?” Warriors whispers, turning to Wild.

Wild shrugs self-consciously, “Zelda taught me. Since I’m kind of the reason your last one was shredded.”

Warriors stares for a brief moment; then he drops the scarf in his lap, wraps his arm around Wild and pulls the younger hero into his chest, his fist coming up to rub harshly into Wild’s scalp.

Wild yelps and struggles in his grip, but the struggles are half-hearted and weak.

Warriors eventually lets go, and then he reverently wraps the scarf around his neck with a soft smile.

“Thanks.”

* * *

That night, for the first time in a long while Wild falls asleep easily.

Safe from the nightmares. Surrounded by ~~friends~~ _family_.

Safe.

 


End file.
